For those that hate the fact that Peter Parker and Mary Jane aren’t married, or were outraged that Superman and Lois Lane are no longer wed in the new DC, prepare for your inner kettle whistle to start screaming when you learn that Barry Allen isn’t married to Iris West.
No. Really.
In an article over at The Source, Brian Cunningham reveals all, stating, “Yes, folks — in the post-FLASHPOINT world, Barry Allen has not only never dated Iris West, but he’s dating someone else entirely in issue #1! And that someone is…his longtime coworker Patty Spivot!”
Who is the harlot Patty Spivot? And does the fact that Iris and Barry aren’t together mean that Wally West will never get to meet his uncle at the lab and be turned into Kid Flash? And what does that do to Bart Allen!?
My head is spinning! SPINNING! I need a drink!
And maybe a sandwich.
Yeah, that’s it, a sandwich to quell the anger that apparently I was experiencing just moments ago. Mmmmm… sandwich.
I’m not going to get too worked up over this, for several of reasons – first, this gives us all a chance to relive the moment when Barry and Iris first started dating, ’cause unless you have a copy of Showcase Presents, or read the stories when they were originally published, you never got to see the wedding the first time.
Second, unless you are really old, you probably only grew up knowing Wally West as the Flash, and since Barry’s return to the DCU has only happened in the last three years, there probably isn’t a strong reader attachment to the couple.
Finally, we know something isn’t right in the New 52. I think I mentioned something a few months ago that Flashpoint was going to have repercussions in the New DCU, and it may lead to the heroes fighting to restore order to the universe. This may be somewhat confirmed by the mysterious sightings of the Flashpoint #5 Mystery Woman that have been popping up in the new number one issues.
Should heroes be married? Does the argument that being married or involved puts the significant other in jeopardy if the hero’s secret identity is found out an argument to believe in, or is it simply a convenient excuse to change continuity?
19 Comments
It’s more like turning the clock back. If the heroes start off single then you can tell their love story again with a bit of a twist since the other changes will make how & when they come together a bit different.
I’m not saying that all heroes should be married. But I think some should. For some characters, the natural growth of that character demands that there be a family and the kind of support structure one gets in a healthy marriage.
I think Peter Parker needs a family. He’s been so alone (and lonely) over the years that giving him a string of a girlfriends isn’t nearly as satisfying as a loving wife. There needs to be some responsibility and stability in his life, and that can’t come from a girlfriend who he can cut loose as soon as danger gets too near.
I like Clark Kent married. Superman has always been a bit of a father figure, not only to readers, but to the DC Universe. You can de-age him and call him Superboy or you can explore his early days, but as soon as you get to Superman, he’s the big red and blue Boy Scout who smiles at you, puts his hand on your shoulder and tells you, “you’re stronger than you think you are.” I like looking at Clark and Lois as “mom and dad” figures. They so naturally fall into the roles, anyway. With Superboy, Supergirl, and Power Girl, you can’t help but see them as just a little bit older anyway. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, I think one of the things missing from modern television, comic books, and movies, is a strong marital relationship for kids to look up to and emulate.
I can’t really speak to the Flash’s marriage as I’ve never read his book. But it always irks me when writers throw away continuity for “better, more interesting and exciting stories!” Maybe they should find a way to tell those same stories with the characters and relationships that have already been established?
You pretty much nailed my thoughts there.
In think this is all part of the “reboot” phenomenon.
The media figured out that, rather than plowing through the origin story and cranking out millions of comics, shows, movies whatever about “the continuing adventures of….” that the origins themselves have become the “continuing adventures” because the origins are the only time anything is really dramatic!
That’s where the person becomes something and all bets are off. Once they’re in their place, you can’t change anything( asbsolutely) because that would kill sales.
So, if we need to split ’em up to put ’em back together, so be it!
According to Marv Wolfman, after Crisis I the comics were supposed to begin again at #1. With George Perez also at the helm and knowing he was going to relaunch Wonder Woman from scratch, they had no problem killing her. They looked at Post Crisis as 1957 all over again.
Unfortunately, most creators didn’t start from scratch and continued as if there was a big framistat followed by confusion because they didn’t reboot.
I believe that the message is forget about the past. They still exist and you can read those stories over and over again. Forget about continuity because it is beginning again. Barry Allen is not the one you know and grew up with. Most of my comics reading life I knew Wally West as the Flash and liked him.
Don’t try to wrap your head around anything because there is nothing to remember. we will see things happen in due time. I also seem to recall that Iris died almost 30 years ago. She cam back, but was never a real presence, usually only a mention. Then Barry died and was often mentioned by friends and Wally.
It is time to let go of the past that never existed.
I really liked the dynamic of Barry’s and Iris’ marriage in the 2010 Flash. It seems stupid to reboot a series that is barely a year old.
I guess rebooting their marriage is better than having a messy divorce and posting a secret identity on Facebook for spite.
Actually, my first real good thought in reaction to this is “so what’s Bart Allen’s relationship to Barry in the NuDCU?”.
Allow me to expand upon that a wee bit: Is Bart still Barry’s grandson from the far-future? No “or ELSE!” there. Just wondering.
…bored now.
waiting for Crisis of the DCnU to reset everything from before Final Crisis.
Actually, if they’re going to retro-bootcrisisize things, I think the most likely point is juuuuuust pre-Identity Crisis. It seems _that_ is where the DCU got irrevocably grim & gritty, at least when it came to relationships. (Plus, that way you can redo the other two crises for more money. ^_^ )
Didn’t we hear before that Barry and Wally were both going to exist, with Wally as an adult?
Honestly liked Wally as father and husband. Curious to see how they bring that about…
Honestly liked Wally as father and husband. Curious to see how they bring that about…
Good to hear someone else liked that, too. I don’t really care one way or another about Barry’s relationship status (I liked his chemistry with Iris, but losing that isn’t a “teh DCnU iz a failyer!!!f” occassion), but because so few people actually seemed to like Wally as a family man, I was afraid they’d just drop him altogether. Hopefully, even if he’s just support, he & his family will still be around.
All I’d ever heard was that Wally wasn’t going to exist. And that’s from the few times I’d heard that his character’s existence in the NuDCU had been mentioned at all.
But then I’m having trouble keeping up.
That’s why I’m waiting for the dust to settle before I actually READ any of these… It’s easier to follow when you’re not waiting 30 days between chapters. :D +1vote for Wally & Linda & Impulse & Jai. I like the Wests, and would be more nonplussed by their exclusion than I am by the Barry/Iris thing. I’m only ‘concerned’ there because of the “grandfather-paradox” with regards to Bart, as others have mentioned.
So now all the male DC heroes are like Austin Powers “Wait a tic! I’m single again! Oh, BEHAAAVEEEE!”. Now they all have the chance to go out and be “playas” like Bruce Wayne. Yeah, that’s going to make me buy comics. Except for Aquaman, who apparently still has a wife after all this but I would guess the number of water-breathing women that can hold back the tide of the East Coast limits his candidates for a spouse.
Clark and Lois? Relaunch reschmaunch. To coin a phrase from my former part time job anything other than Clark Kent hooching up with Lois Lane will be “sh&t on” by comic book fans except for some perv folks out there that have always wanted to see “Earth 0’s” Man of Steel get it on with Wonder Woman (since that’s a done deal in the Kingdom Come” universe) or to pull a redneck and start a family with his cousin Kara. (Which also begs the question is Power Girl on Earth 0 or Earth 2 now…but I digress).
As my old counterpart Jim Cornette once said “A gimmick is fair game after 10 years or after most people have forgot about it”. I think that this is what the writers/editors of this “new” DCU are shooting for. And I’ll still read The Flash as long as he still gets to keep his uniform in his ring. Much like Thomas Wayne I’ve always been facinated by that and envied the fact that he doesn’t have to spring for $25 bucks for “excessive baggage” if he flies coach.
If anything, now I’m curious as to how writers are going to “write themselves out” of these paradoxes since Kid Flash is apparently a member of the Teen Titans.
Would I have preferred seeing a “new DCU” where the younger characters were able to realize their potential before handing the mantles off to the “third/fourth Generation” as shown in “Titans Tomorrow” (sans homicidal tendences)? Yes. But I am with many readers that see the “mystery woman” being teased as possibly another Harbinger/Pariah character that will bring more changes sooner than later.
First let me start by saying I’m 40 yrs old and grew up on DC. My first comics when I was 7 were Action and The Legion. As I grew I would periodically check up on my childhood favorites. I found them to be enjoyable but a little confusing. The whole alternate worlds of earth 1 and 2 was a little beyond my youthfull years. Then came Crisis on Infinite Earths. It was phenomenal. Suddenly I could access the DC universe with a fresh start. The characters were all exciting. Batman, Superman, Wonderwoman; I read them all.
At last there was only 1 DC universe with 1 history. As time went on little by little all the work that was put into making these characters cohesive and enjoyable was slowly retconned. It seems like the tide of DC follows Superman. If he changes the whole world has to change.
Well if none of you are aware DC has been in a HUGE legal battle with the Shusters and Siegels decendants. Well instead of paying the family off, they gambled and lost 1/2 the rights to Superman. So to move forward DC has decided to bring us a new Superman that has aspects that they legally retain, Strength, Flight and Heat vision etc. A lot of the classic aspects are owned by the descendants the classic outfit, Lois Lane, Perry White. You get the Idea.
So here we are with a hastily cobbled together series of stories and events to compensate for the legal problems of Superman. That said I was STILL willing to give the new DC a shot. I picked up Justice League #1. It was lame as hell. Poor plotting, story telling and mediocre Jim Lee artwork. The NEW DC has the stink of Marvel’s 90’s disaster Heroes Reborn. It even has some of the same people working on it. Jim Lee, Rob Liefeld and Bob Harras they were all there and failed the last time they tried this. So why should I continue to support this crap? Hey fanboys…..wake up. Until this greedy corporation gets there sh!t together go pickup Darkhorse or Image. Invincible is always a great read.
I think why most are not so upset about this marriage, is that Barry has been gone since 1987.. So their marriage hasn’t been a major story telling point outside of a few Flash stories here and there (like the Life of Barry Allen TPB that was released several years ago). I think we all know that Barry and Iris and Lois and Clark will one day be married again, and since this is a “new” DCU, we’re just getting another chance to see our heroes start out at the beginning… I don’t know exactly what to say about Barry and Iris still not being married after Barry’s been Flash 5 years, but I bet Barry and Iris are at least good friends in this continuity. So far, I’ve not been impressed by JLA#1, which REALLY sucks for a DC/Geoff Johns fan, but hopefully it will get better. I am hoping that the heroes will fight for the universe, and we can keep the bits and pieces of the new universe that work, but go back to how things were with the things that don’t work… As we all know, once there have been 5 or 6 writers on a book, the old continuity will more than likely start seeping in any ways…
Well there’s always Reed and Sue Richards, they’re the only REAL shocker left. Hopefully Marvel isn’t dumb enough to split them up.
Mr and Mrs Fantastic ftw!
I know I am not the first to say this however what is up with comic publishers/company’s not liking people being married? Peter and MJ were good, Clark and Lois were good, and quite frankly Barry and Iris were one of the best despite all their issues. I understand and can appreciate wanting to bring new reader on board. Who wouldn’t? But DC could have done an ultimate type universe (and I am talking an ultimate universe like Marvel began with not what they have done to it now) and still had plenty of readers with potential for new ones. At least flashpoint was more real in changing everything than having a demon take your life away like in the web-slinger’s world but still just senseless all the way around. I mean lets face it, Jay Garrick’s girlfriend and eventual wife knew his identity from the beginning and I don’t think it has hurt him any.